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Home » ColumnsRajapaksa goes in as underdog, but is no pushover
Major parties and civic action groups rally behind Maithripala, while crossovers continue MR confident of victory, says good governance means good results Opposition expresses concern over ‘computer jilmart’ and police powers being given to armed forces The month long campaign for Thursday’s presidential poll ends at midnight tomorrow (Monday) and the main contenders are equally [...]
Chandadaayakaya: One-day king
My Dear Chandadaayakaya, I thought it is only fitting to write to you this week because, for a brief moment on Thursday, you will be kingmakers in this country. It is not an opportunity that comes often. For most part of the next five or six years, you will have to do as you are [...]
Reduction of massive foreign debt burden imperative in 2015
Irrespective of whether voters choose continuity or change on January 8, the economic challenges this year are formidable. Among the many economic challenges is the imperative to reduce the massive increasing foreign debt, whose servicing costs are a huge burden on the economy. About 25 per cent of export earnings are needed to service the [...]
Maithri or Mahinda – a toss up
As campaigning draws to a close in one of the most crucial election in recent times, there is no second-guessing what the people’s verdict will be. The opposition started out on a single-issue platform based on abolishing the executive presidency. But as the campaign progressed it became increasingly clear that the crowd-pulling factor was not [...]
On the ‘known devil’ and Sri Lanka’s choices
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s call to Tamil voters during a rally in the North this week to vote for the ‘known devil’ is typical of the unabashedly unapologetic tone of his election campaign. After four years of relentlessly rolling back Sri Lanka’s constitutional freedoms and the Rule of Law, much needed humility would have been well [...]
Jayawewas for the wrong Khan
There was rather an embarrassing moment when the Indian movie star Salman Khan was introduced wrongly at a public meeting held in Borella where he was attending a purported eye camp. The rather breathless and overenthusiastic announcer urged the people present to welcome Mr. Khan by shouting out “Sharuk Khanta Jayawewa. (Long Live Sharuk Khan)”. [...]
Will Lanka chew the same betel or change to waltz the Swan Lake
There’s a kind of hush that has descended upon the land. Now the hour’s come to stop passing the buck, wondering how the other fellow and the rest of the nation will be voting for a new president. This Thursday morning it will be zero hour. Time to clasp your future in your hands and [...]
More clarity on dual citizenship needed
A few days ago our sister newspaper the Daily Mirror carried a news story headlined “Hassle-free system for dual citizenship for 10 countries.” While one might have wished for a less ambiguous label- after all we are not granting dual citizenship for 10 countries are we- this story coming from official sources, left some gaping [...]